We thank you for the proofs that we have to come and study your word. We pray Lord God that you would give us refreshment. I know that a lot of brothers and sisters in this room have come from a long week of working and maybe studying and need Lord God to meet and to be reminded of your grace and love and why we move and live and have our being in you.

We pray that your word would not just be just empty words, but that we would be able to hear your voice, that we would understand your heart. And that we may find our comfort Lord God knowing that you are a God who is gracious and loving, that you are consistent, that you're somebody that we can put our hope in, in all things.

So we pray Father that you would search our hearts. And again, if our brothers and sisters here are in need Lord God of just a reminder of your love toward us. I pray that this evening would serve that purpose. In Jesus name we pray, amen. All right, so let's look at Isaiah 28 and 29.

Again, within the larger context of end times judgment. And so as we get closer and closer to chapter 40, you'll see that there is gonna be an increase in mention of the coming Messiah. So the whole thing that we see all the way to chapter 39, the theme is Israel who is deserving of judgment.

And along with that all the other nations that are tied up with that, right? So we have the similar judgment. But the end part of what we're dealing with, all the way up to chapter 39, is again, not just only talking about, there are some specific historical things that are taking place.

But there's a lot of language that are very similar to the book of Revelation. And I've been trying to point that out as much as I can as we're going. But again, we're in that section, first chapter 20 to 29. So let's just jump into it, okay? So, upon what and whom does Isaiah pronounce woe in chapter 28?

I know that, how many of you guys use ESV? Okay, how many of you guys don't use ESV? Say it loud, say it proud. Okay, I don't even. >> >> Okay, so what do you use? >> Message. >> >> Huh? What do you use, James? >> NIV and ESV.

>> And ESV? >> Yeah. >> Okay, what do you use, James? >> NASV. >> NASV? NASV? No more? ESV? Okay, how many of you guys use NASV? How many of you guys use NIV? How many of you guys use something not ESV, not NASV, not, what did I miss, NASV?

Okay, so just kind of different place. All right, so most of you guys use ESV. All right, so this question when I asked you about the woe, you probably had some, like, okay, well, where is this woe, right? Actually, the word that is translated in the ESV, ah, if you look at the NIV, I think the NASV has that too, right, in some parts where it's translated woe.

That's basically what it is. It's woe as in like, wait a second, take a look, and it is a pronouncement of judgment coming. And so, NAS, ESV, for whatever the reason, has decided to translate it, ah. So if you look at these texts, there's six different places in the next four or five chapters where the word woe just appears.

And it kind of connects the section together. So it's meant to be understood together because of these woes that connect them together, okay? So I think most of you who guys just using the ESV probably had a hard time, it's like, what woe is he referring to? That's what we're referring to, okay?

What is the main pronouncement of judgment against Ephraim? It says, because they become proud, right? It's the way that he says it. He says, woe, the proud crown of the drunkard of Ephraim. So you get the kind of sarcasm in the way that he describes their sin, right? Their pride is in their drunkenness, right?

So in other words, instead of being ashamed, you're glorying in something that you should really be ashamed about, right? And said, because of that, God's gonna bring judgment. The Lord has one who is mighty and strong, and a storm overflowing. So you'll see in between as there is pronouncement of judgment, there's also pronouncement of the Messiah.

And again, as I mentioned before, the closer we get to the chapter 40, you're gonna see that the theme where right now it's predominantly judgment and Messiah's coming. And then starting from 40 and on, you're gonna see a greater emphasis on the Messiah coming in the midst of judgment, okay?

So there's gonna be a subtle change, and we see more of that. So in between here, he says, behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong. So who's the one he's referring to? It's pretty obvious, right? He's talking about the Messiah. Judgment is coming because of your stubbornness, because of your pride and drunkenness.

But the Lord has one who's going to come, and he's going to bring judgment. All right, the next verses, verses one through four, again, it is a detailed description of how they became proud over their external beauty, right, the things that they had, but how it's going to be fading, right?

Verse one talks about their like fading flowers, comes and goes, right? We see that language in the New Testament, right? That all man fades like this flower, but the word of God lasts forever. Again, the proud crown of the drunkard will be trodden underfoot, and these are all description of Ephraim, right?

Their beauty is attractive, but here, one day gone the other, it's only temporary. So whatever is the source of your pride that's causing you to be arrogant before God and disobey, he said it's only here for a minute, it's like a fading flower, right? It's beautiful one day, and it's withered the next day, right?

And that's the condition of man. Everything that we're tempted by, right, in time, it fades, it's nothing. So if you really think about it, think about the things that you desired so much when you were younger, right? In high school, that pants you wanted, you know what I mean?

That car that you thought was like, if I just had that car, and think how outdated it is now, right? That sunglass you wanted, think how, think all these things that like at that time, that's gripped your heart, but when you look back at it now, how foolish it is.

So when you think about it like that, think about all the things that grip our heart today, and it's just a matter of time, right? And that's just a fact. So how much we are entangled with things that are temporary, and so that's what he's saying. E-frame chased after superficial booty, not booty, beauty, sorry.

>> >> >> They were judged for that too, right? >> >> Yeah. >> >> I erased that part, I erased that part. >> >> All right. Pay attention to the vibe. >> >> So for whom would the Lord be a crown of glory and diadem? So again, every time there's a pronouncement of judgment, he always talks about restoration.

But is the restoration for everybody? No, it's for the few, for the remnants, right? These are the people who end up repenting and returning to the Lord, and it is not everybody. So he's not saying all the people who are experiencing judgment, that all of a sudden God's gonna turn this around.

He said that because of the judgment, he's going to prune the nation of Israel, and the ones who return and repent, there is a promise of glory, right? So the Lord of Hosts will be a crown of glory to the remnant of his people. In other words, God's people will not run to shallow beauty, but only to true beauty in Christ.

After the judgment period is over, right, there's gonna be a period of the remnant who are returning to God who's going to experience this. Okay? And then if you look at verse six, again, when this happens, one of the judgments against Israel is, in that day, verse five, that the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory and diadem of beauty to remnant of his people.

And a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment. And strength to those who turn back and battle at the gate, right? So again, he's saying that the only one that can carry out true justice is Christ who comes, right, the Holy One of God. So what caused the people, including their religious leaders, to err?

So again, the next few verses, verses nine through 13, I think it's nine through seven, and seven through 13, is a description of the sin of the leaders of Israel. And they go into pretty detail, right? The leaders are drunk with the world and are not able to give sound judgment, verse seven.

These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink. The priests and the prophets reel with strong drink. They are swallowed by wine. They stagger from strong drink. They reel in vision. They stumble in giving judgment, right? In other words, they're so drunk, and again, it could be literal drunk, being drunk, but also spiritually, they're just not sober.

And as a result of that, they don't hear the word of God, right? And they're not able to make sound judgment, and they're not able to give sound advice. And that's basically what it's saying. So the leaders are not able to lead because they're drunk with the world. And so what they're saying is that what they were doing in private, in other words, being drunk and being carried away, is gonna affect their ministry.

They're not gonna be able to lead the people. And then, verses nine through 13, he goes into detail, right? Verse eight says, for all tables are full of filthy vomit with no space left. And then, if you look at verse ten and on, it says, for it's precepts upon precepts upon precepts, line upon line upon line, here little, there little.

What do you think that's in reference to? For by people of strange lips and with foreign tongues, the Lord will speak to this people to whom he has said. So one, who is God speaking to about this? Israel. Specifically, who is he pointing out? Who is this in reference to?

The leaders. So when they say their teaching is but precepts upon precepts upon precepts upon precepts, line upon line upon line upon line, a little here, a little there. What is that in reference to? I already put it up here, right? They only teach basic and shallow things in repetition over and over again because they're staggering, they're drunk, they're not able to make sound judgment.

So even their teaching is very shallow, right? And he says, in the end, for by people of strange lips with foreign tongue, the Lord will speak to this people to whom he has said. Anybody remember, again, a particular passage in the New Testament that says something similar to this?

>> >> Yes, could be. The period of the Gentiles. Remember the Roman chapter 9 through 11 talks about that? That Israel has experienced a partial hardening of the heart, right? Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. So again, it says something similar, that now the Gentiles are leading and God is using the Gentiles, so the period of the church is a period of the Gentiles.

Right? And then so because they wouldn't listen to God through the prophets, people of strange lips like foreigners, Gentiles are gonna come and they're gonna end up teaching you instead of you teaching them. That's what he's saying, right? This is rest, give rest to the weary, and this is repose, yet they would not hear.

In other words, God gave these things so that you would be an avenue. He said, I will bless you, and through you, many others will be blessed. But instead of, because you rebelled against God, the Gentiles are gonna come in and they're gonna do what I called you to do, right?

The church is going to carry out what I called you to do, basically, right? And the world, verse 13, and the word of the Lord will be to them, precepts upon precepts upon precepts, and upon line upon line, upon here little, there little, that they may go and fall backward and broken and snared and taken, right?

So if you look at verse 9, to whom will he teach knowledge and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast. In other words, right, their teaching is so shallow that only people that are able to listen and get anything out of it are infants, right?

Because they're not able to teach, they're so drunk with the world. So all of this, again, is a rebuke that there's a shallowness of the teaching that's causing them, not only them, but the nation of Israel to stray away from God. Right? And then the Gentiles that they basically hate are gonna be the ones who are gonna be leading.

And that was, if you look at the early church, the biggest problem in the early church was that Jews could not accept the Gentiles into the church, right? They said, you need to submit to us. But what God was doing was flipping the table completely upside down, right? It started with the Jews, but eventually, after they get out of the first century, it wasn't the Jews who were carrying the church, it was completely the Gentiles.

Right? When he says, made a covenant, who did he make the covenant? What were they hoping to escape? Right? The rulers of Jerusalem made a covenant with death, meaning that they have no idea that their covenant with other pagan nations for protection was really a covenant with death. They have made lies their refuge and in falsehood their shelter.

So verse 14 and 15, it says, therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who ruled his people in Jerusalem, because you have said, we have made a covenant with death and with Sheol, we have an agreement. When the overwhelming will pass us through, it will not come to us.

So obviously, they didn't make an actual covenant with death, right? It's kind of a hyperbole that not realizing that the things that you are holding on to is actually a covenant with death. In other words, the covenant you made with Egypt, the covenant you made with Assyria and to Babylon, is ultimately gonna lead to a covenant of death, right?

A covenant that you made with the world, right? I'm gonna follow your pattern, and ultimately is a pattern of death. But that's basically what he's saying. And so as a result of that, what will the Lord lay in Zion? Who would therefore not act hastily? He said, Lord, I laid a sure father unlike what Israel was relying on.

So in other words, the covenant of death that you've made with all these other nations, thinking that somehow you're gonna find life, right? And that's why they made a covenant with Egypt. That's why they made a covenant with Babylon. You will give you so much and you guys protect us.

But in your thinking of seeking life, ultimately the reality is you're actually seeking death. But he says, but the Lord is going to come. Even in the midst of this judgment, he has a promise of the Messiah who's going to come, and the foundation he's going to lay is gonna actually lead to life, right?

So all these words, the tested stone, the precious cornerstone, the sure foundation, all descriptions of the Messiah. And if you look at the language in verse 16, I mean it's pretty clear that this is in reference to Christ, right? Therefore that says the Lord God, behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation.

Whoever believes will not be in haste, like what we talked about on Sunday, right? The path to salvation he talks about is to believe, right? And then he says that again in verse 18, right? The covenant with death will then be annulled for those who believe, verse 18. Then your covenant with death will be annulled and your agreement with Sheol will not stand.

So clearly this is in reference to the gospel, right? But despite all of this, despite you turning against God and seeking after these, when the judgment comes and you choose to return and you recognize the Messiah, right, and you repent and you believe, he says the covenant of death will be annulled, John 5, 24, right?

But when this judgment comes, verse 20, for the bed is too short to stretch oneself on. In other words, there's no rest, right? That his judgment is gonna, oops, sorry. His judgment is gonna be so thorough, there's no rest, right? But here's something he says, for the Lord will rise up on Mount Perizim, as in the valley of Gibeon, he will be roused to do his deeds.

Strange is his deed, and to work his work, alien is his work, okay? I want you guys to take a minute to discuss in your group, what does that mean? Maybe some of you guys took some time to, even though I didn't necessarily ask this question. What does that mean, his deeds are strange and his work is alien?

Take some time to discuss in your group. All right, what are your thoughts on this? Why is he describing the Lord's deed as strange and his work as alien? Any thoughts? So, trying to comprehend why God would judge even his own people, is that what you're saying? Yes. Okay.

Okay, right. Yeah. Yeah. There's wrong answers, but there's no right answers, right? Just let it percolate, let it sink in. All right. No, that could, I mean, when we're looking at this passage, could it mean that? Of course, yeah, it could mean that. Looking at God's judgment in the context of this, like, what is God doing, right?

Why is he, you know, judging his people? That could be it, right? The Jews, I mean, Jews couldn't understand it, right? I mean, it was alien and strange to them. Like, why would God judge us? We're the apple of his eye, right? So, that's why when the false prophets came in, remember when Jeremiah kept on saying, like, judgment's coming, judgment's coming?

He's like, why would God judge us? We're his people. So, in that sense, yes, it was alien. It was strange. Mm-hmm? >> Question. Is his work of judgment a separate work from his work of >> Again, I'm trying to answer the question in the context. What do you think?

>> Well, because it previously talked about him being the sure cornerstone, the solid foundation, the emphasis is on his belief, but yet there's imminent judgment. So, in a way, they seem almost inseparable. So, strange and alien as words could mean both of what he referenced as being judgment, being strange and alien, coming from alien, from Gentiles outside of Israel, and strange being not expected, but also the way that Christ came through as Messiah was also strange and alien.

So, they seem both related and almost inseparable. >> Okay. So, thinking like a Jew, when he's describing Christ's coming, I mean, what is, to a Jew, not a Christian, but to a Jew, what is the strangest passage that they have a hard time wrestling with in the Old Testament?

You've probably heard it before. I know I've mentioned it before. Isaiah 53, right? Isaiah 53 is a passage that they don't know what to do with. In fact, I mentioned this before. I read a whole book on testimony of this Jewish professor. He was hiking through Europe, and then it started raining, so he knocked on the door and went in.

They happened to have a Bible study. And so, they were going around reading the Bible, and then they ended up reading Isaiah 53, and he got really offended. He said, "You know, I'm a Jew, so don't push that stuff on me." And then he turned around and said, "We're reading the Old Testament." Because he clearly, when he just heard it for the first time, he thought, "Oh, this is a Christian Bible study, so you're reading the New Testament." So, when he found out it was the Old Testament, it really rocked his world.

And we went home and we started examining the text, and sure enough, how could this be anybody else but Jesus? And then he ended up becoming a Christian as a result, and so he wrote a whole book, a testimony about it. I mentioned this before. Some of you guys probably weren't paying attention.

So, the whole work of Christ, again, I'm not saying that this is the only way we can understand that, but the whole work of Christ is alien, right? In fact, in 1 Peter, remember what it says? When the prophecy came, they were longing to see who and what time this was going to happen, the suffering of Christ, because it was alien.

Christ's suffering was alien. It was so alien, they didn't understand it, even when he came. Even his disciples who were with him, even when Jesus said, "I'm going to the cross to suffer and resurrect on the third day," they couldn't understand it, because it was so alien. So, we talk about the substitutionary atonement as what kind of righteousness?

Alien righteousness. So, it's alien in all these ways. It's alien because of the judgment of God. It's alien because it's strange. It's alien because there's Gentiles who's going to come in and take over. The whole prophecy of how this is going to be fulfilled is alien. And what's the most alien and strange about all of this is Christ crucified, right?

That the Messiah, the King, who's going to come in the order of Melchizedek, King of kings and Lord of lords, he's going to come as a humble servant and then be crucified on the cross? You know what I mean? That's strange. That's extremely alien. So, I don't know what's more strange and what's more alien than the cross itself.

Right? >> Could it be then that God's judgment of some people is meant to be a prototype, sort of to illustrate God's judgment of the Son of the Cross? In that way, both works of their judgment then and God's punishment of Christ for our sins. >> I guess we could say that, but the problem is Israel deserves it.

Yeah. So that's where that illustration may fall apart. Yeah. Okay. It is alien. You know, because we hear the Gospel so often and because it's repeated so much in the Church, it doesn't seem alien after a while. But the more you dwell on and think about it, when would you ever love somebody like that?

Ever. You know, even our own children. I mean, really, even our own children. Like, just pure love. Pure love. Right? Because we're tainted human beings. So, the fact that we think about the God of the universe who loving just speckled us to the point that He went, right? And again, the reason why I think about all of this, and again, I'm not going to go like off tangent.

I'm very tempted to right now. But, you know, to me, the Gospel only makes sense if ultimately the cross was to declare His glory. Because no matter how much I try to figure out why would He die for me? Like, me in particular. Right? Now, I know He did, and I know He loves me, so I'm not questioning His love.

But ultimately, like, it doesn't… The only way that I can make any sense of it is ultimately it was linked to His glory. It was His demonstration of who He is. Does that make sense? He did what He did because that's who He is. I was wondering, when it talks about the valley of Gibeon, is there any reference being made to the Gibeonite deception?

Because that was when they made a treaty also, and it's kind of a false… No, I think there are definitely historical pointers that he's referencing. But because Isaiah is so sporadic in the way that he presents it, like, he'll jump from Assyria to Babylon, to Babylon back to Assyria, it's hard to be definitive historically, because there is no chronological order.

So, yeah, definitely that could be a reference to that. And part of the reason I'm not going too deep into it is because it's not completely certain. So if you read, like, four commentaries, they'll all give you kind of different angles of it. This is what they think. This is what this guy said.

But in the end, no one's absolutely certain. But anyway, I don't have enough time to explain to you some of the thoughts that I have concerning this. But it makes more sense to me when I put two and two together. But for sure, the more I dwell on the cross, the more I don't fully get it.

Not the teachings of it, but the why of it. Like, why? Why would he do that? What does he get out of this? Obviously, it's his glory. He wants our love. He wants worship. All of that. But Jesus said he could make the rocks to cry out to him.

And we're worse than rocks because we rebel and curse God. Anyway, so I think of this, and obviously, there's nothing more alien and strange than what God did for us. "Whom does Isaiah use to illustrate how God varies his ways of judgment?" Again, so this is in reference to 23 to 29.

"Does he who gives ear and hear my voice and give attention and hear my speech, does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? When he has leveled his surface, does he not scatter?" So he's talking about this order of the farmer where he's doing each one of these things, preparing for the next event.

So he's saying that, again, you see the book of Revelation and how it starts with the bowl, right? No, not the seals, and then the trumpets, and then the bowl judgments, and how each one progressively adds to the other. So, again, he's talking about how all of this judgment is not just sporadic boom and he's gone, boom, they're all connected.

One's leading to the other, and he's doing it systematically. And not only is he doing it systematically, in verse 24, 26, he's talking about the varying kinds of judgment that's coming. And, again, this kind of reminds me of how, even as the judgment is coming, you know how in 2 Thessalonians talking about how Jesus has not come yet, and he said the reason why you shouldn't be disturbed by these false letters that's coming in my name is that before Jesus comes, he says, "What's going to happen?" Anybody remember 2 Thessalonians chapter 2?

Man of lawlessness is going to be revealed, and then he's going to go into this temple, and he's going to sit in this seat, right? And then he's going to declare to be God, right? And then there's going to be a heavy delusion that's going to come so that those who refuse to embrace truth, right?

And God's going to allow delusions to come because they willfully rejected God, rejected God, he's going to hand them over. So he clearly says there's these things that are going to happen, so when you see these things happening and unfolding, you will know that the end is coming. But because it hasn't happened, don't let them fool you saying here he is, there he is.

So the point of this is pay very close attention, right? So the reason why they were being discouraged is because everything that Christians hope for is linked to his second coming, right? And if you think any other way, it's the health and wealth gospel, right? If our hope in everything that, anything that we're working on is hoping that if we invest now, that tomorrow there's going to be a payoff, right?

A lot of people invested everything and then died, right? A lot of people invest everything and then they go to prison and their life is cut short and they become poor. So for a Christian in the early church, the reason why they were so disturbed was that, remember Satan was, you know, he said all these false prophets are going to come.

One of the first delusions or the deceptions that came was that no, he already came. Because if he already came, it means everything that they've sacrificed to follow Christ, that they missed it, right? And that's why he was writing the second Thessalonians, to assure them this is not the case.

There's clear things, God does things in order. He's not a God of chaos, he does things in order and here, you know, pay attention to these things, right? So what does verses 27-20 teach us about the nature of God's judgment? Okay, let's look at 27-28. "Dill is not threshed with threshing sledge, nor is the cartwheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick and cumin with a rod." Right?

"Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever. When he drives his cartwheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it." This image was so… Anybody here that went to India? Okay, so remember when we were driving? I think you were in the car with us.

We would drive and then these people would have all this stuff on the ground and the cars would go over it. Remember that? Doesn't that kind of remind you of that? Right? He said all the horses, cars would go over it, but they're not crushed. So, initially, you know, when we would go to the countryside, all the farmers would take… What was it that they put on the ground?

What was it? Yeah, maybe it was… Yeah, I think it was wheat. And they would spread it on the roadside, and then when the cars come, you have to go over it. Right? So, every time we go over it, we're thinking, "Man, this is going to puncture the car tires." And it's everywhere.

So, when we didn't understand it, we thought like, "What are these people doing? And why aren't the drivers getting mad?" And realized the reason why they're doing that is because that's the easiest way to get the grain out. So, they want a heavy cart to go over it, and every time it does that, it shakes it up, and then it loosens.

Then they go and pick it up, and then they re-send it back. Right? So, that's the image that we see here. We're saying, "When they're crushed, what was the purpose of…" So, we were thinking like, "We're destroying it, and they're playing tricks on us," or whatever. They're too lazy to get it off the street.

Not realizing that that was part of their technique to get the wheat out. Right? And so, that's the image that's given here. It says, "God is crushing, but the ultimate purpose for His people is not to be crushed." It's like, "God doesn't treat you like the pagan nations." Right?

"He's disciplining His people, because the end result is He's trying to separate the wheat and the chaff." Right? "He's actually going to cause them to bear more fruit at the end as a result of His judgment." "His intent is pruning more than destruction." Right? That's what he's saying in that text.

What will happen to Ariel? I put Jerusalem. Ariel is a code name for Jerusalem, and it means "lion of God." Okay, I think I… yeah. Compound word, "ari" meaning "lion," "el" meaning "God." "Lion of God." He said, "What would happen to those nations who fight against God?" So, first section of chapter 29 is a description of God's anger because of their pride, and how God's going to humble them.

Right? Verses 1 through, I think, 4 or 5. And then he says, "Even though they're being judged, and God may allow for a period for Assyria and Egypt and Babylonians to come and bring judgment upon them, He said, "Anybody who brings judgment upon them and comes against them, eventually God's going to come and protect them." Right?

So, if you look at verse 7 and 8. Okay, chapter 29, verse 7 and 8. "And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her, shall be like a dream, a vision of the night, as when a hungry man dreams he is eating and awakes with his hunger not satisfied.

Or as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking and awakes faint with his thirst not quenched. So shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion." What does that mean? Why is the foreign nations trying to come against Israel like a dream? And it's like a hungry man who dreams and wakes up hungry.

Anybody? Does it kind of go back to the judgment of Assyria where they started invading and they got-- obviously God's on our side because we destroyed them. And so we're the good people, but God's like, "No, you're just a tool. You're not really--now I'm going to crush you because you don't care." Is it kind of the same thing?

What they see as victory is really God just setting them up for judgment. Right. So it was just wishful thinking. You're hungry and you want to eat, but then you wake up and it was all just a thought. It was a dream. It's not a reality. So in other words, anybody who comes against you is not going to happen because God is behind them.

Even though God will temporarily allow it to happen for the purpose of pruning in the end, but their power against you is going to be like a dream. It's just thoughts. It may seem real to you, but you're going to wake up from it and realize it wasn't real.

You are not the superpower. And then you're going to realize that there is a God that you don't have any control over. So any power in the universe or in human history, no matter how powerful they were, they're gone. All the superpowers of today, it's temporary. And then when reality hits, you realize that there's only one God.

King of kings and Lord of lords. So that's what he's referencing. So they will desire to devolve Ariel, Jerusalem, but as a hungry and thirsty person can only eat and drink as a dream, so will their desire to conquer Zion. So what caused this blindness? Again, he's going back and forth to, "You're my child, but this is what you did, and here's judgments coming." When you look at the language of what God says, it's almost like, if you have children, when you're punishing your kids, you're punishing them, but at the same time, you're trying to remind them, "You're my child and I love you, but I'm going to have to punish you.

But don't forget that I love you." And you kind of see that language going back and forth. He says, "Anybody who comes against you ultimately are going to realize that you're not going to be able to, because I'm behind you." But here comes the judgment. He talks about superficial worship in verse 13, which is what he began with, right?

Chapter 1, very beginning, he outlined why judgment of Israel is coming, and he spends a good chunk of chapter 1 talking about superficial worship. Verse 13, "And the Lord said, 'Because these people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is commandment taught by men.'" That's all it is, right?

There's no true fear, they're just jumping through the hoops, right? So he's not saying, "Yes, some of them went after idols. A lot of the kings set up high places and false gods and all that stuff." But at the tail end of Israel's history, before the judgment came, they were known for their temple worship, because they weren't fighting anybody in particular.

They had the temple, right? So whether it's Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, Jeremiah, all these prophets are prophesying during a period when they thought their observation of themselves was that God is pleased with us. Remember the primary message of the false prophets were God is not angry with you. That was the primary message.

Jeremiah and Isaiah, they're such downers. All they do is make you feel guilty. We have the message of the Lord. God loves you, right? And there's no judgment coming. But God says, "All that worship that you are relying on, thinking that somehow that's going to make you safe." He says, "No, God is actually angry with you because you're superficial." And that's exactly during the time of Jesus.

They were so angry with the Romans, right? Remember, they were Romans, "Ah, they're bothering us. They're the ones. They won't let us worship." And then when they, remember when they asked, "Do we give money to the Romans, or do we give it to the temple?" Remember what Jesus said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar.

Give to God what is God." He was rebuking them, right? You're worried about the money, but you're not giving to God. It's not about the money, right? Even if you don't give it to the Romans, that's not what God desires. God desires your worship, and you're not giving God true worship.

So give to Caesar, Caesar's. Give to God, God's. And you're not doing either, right? Verse 15, right, it says, "Woe, or awe, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, 'Who sees us? Who knows us?'" God is saying, "God does." And then verse 16, "You turn things upside down.

Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say to its maker, 'He did not make me,' or the thing formed say of him who formed it, 'He has no understanding.'" They refuse to acknowledge God. And then this is kind of like the summary of why judgment and discipline is coming upon the nation of Israel.

And again, just to take a minute to look at it, it means superficial worship, just going through the motion, attending church, and doing all that, motion. If it's not true faith, true worship, right, because that's what God desires, people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Deeds are hidden from the Lord, right?

As long as our reputation is good, what's happening in our hearts in private, right, doesn't matter because it's not really pleasing God, right? Only person that can feel safe living two separate things are people who are okay with the reputation, but not the reality, right? And that's what they were.

And in the end, they were, you know, God was not their king, right? So, we're the pot, He's the potter, but instead we're trying to mold Him instead of the other way. So what does the future hold for the house of Jacob, Israel? I just listed, you may have more than this, "They will again bear much fruit," verse 17.

"At the end of pruning," the purpose of pruning is not to destroy, but that the fruit will be more genuine, it will be more full, right? He said, "Deaf shall hear." And again, when He says, "Deaf shall hear," obviously there's a physical component to it, but spiritually. People who had no ear to hear, God's going to open their ears and they're going to hear.

People who could not see, they're going to see. In other words, all of this is a description of revival at the end. That's exactly what happens. When revival comes, all of a sudden the Word of God becomes so much sweeter than it was before, and you are able to see His grace and love in a deeper way that you haven't seen before.

Sometimes God will bring pruning in your life for that very reason. Because without the pruning, a lot of times we remain dull of hearing, dull of seeing, but the pruning causes us to be more sensitive to the things of God. And then ultimately the meek will find joy in the Lord, and the poor will have reason to exalt Him.

In other words, the very things that the world is chasing after, again remember the beatitudes, every part of that beatitude is exactly the opposite of what the world teaches us, what the world is tempting us with. And He said, "But when revival comes, it's the meek who will find joy in Him." It's the poor who will be restored.

And along with that, the ruthless will be punished. And then the final result is that Jacob will be restored, Israel will be restored. Okay. Okay, so you can take the rest of the time to discuss with your group.